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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23373037">High Tide Override</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quixotic_Dragon/pseuds/Quixotic_Dragon'>Quixotic_Dragon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Splatoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Other, POV Multiple, Post-Octo Expansion DLC, Squidbeak Splatoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:15:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,341</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23373037</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quixotic_Dragon/pseuds/Quixotic_Dragon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Agents 3, 4, and 8 of the Squidbeak Splatoon recuperate in the weeks following the Octo Expansion. Little do they know, another great threat to Inkopolis has been on the rise... the ocean grows restless.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Nightmare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! You may notice this work doesn't have many tags... that's because it's still a WIP!</p><p>Any content warnings for the chapters WILL be posted up here in the beginning notes, and they will be added into the tags accordingly.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He was trapped in a world of ever-twisting metal and stone. Brilliantly shining ink oozed from every crack and seeped through the floor, coating his boots with a grimy cyan sheen. He was running from them… the masses of yellow and blue that could only be described as barely Octarian. He panted as he fled, frantically searching for an escape.</p><p>He turned a corner and stumbled to the floor. The ground beneath him shook and rose, and in just a blink, the walls had melted away into an all-too-familiar arena. He gasped as he quickly pushed himself onto his knees, already knowing what was to come.</p><p>He glanced up. A caped Inkling descended upon him in an avalanche of green.</p>
<hr/><p>Dimitris was jolted awake in a cold sweat and a hand on his shoulder. A pair of mismatched eyes peered down at him worriedly. His nightmare was over, yet the Inkling from it still stood above him.</p><p>“Hey, are you okay?” they asked. “I could hear you thrashing from the kitchen…”</p><p>Dimitris huffed, “I’m fine, Soi.” He pushed their hand off his shoulder and dragged himself up.</p><p>Soi’s expression remained worried for a moment, but they soon gave him a wide grin. “Alright, if you say so! Breakfast is ready when you are,” they said, leaving the room and closing the door behind them.</p><p>Dimitris sighed after Soi left, dragging his hand across his reddening face. How embarrassing… He vigorously shook his head to rid himself of his flustered grogginess. He clambered out of his bed and threw on his usual gear: Black Hoodie, Annaki Arachno Boots, and an Annaki Mask slung around his neck. He grabbed the Hero Brush by his door and dragged it out into the rest of the apartment with him.</p><p>Soi perked up from the kitchen’s bar (which was functionally its table) as they saw Dimitris emerge from his room.</p><p>“Good morning!” they chirped as if the morning had started ordinarily.</p><p>“Morning.”</p><p>Dimitris laid his brush against the wall and sat beside Soi, already helping himself to the eggs they had made. Soi was fiddling with their phone, perhaps messaging the Squidbeak Splatoon? Or maybe they were just browsing some online forum. As he ate, Dimitris’ gaze traced the off-color scar on the tan Inkling’s face where it bled into their eerie green eye. He could hardly imagine that this dorky Inkling was the same relentless beast he had to defeat… yet the evidence was right there. Worried about his staring, Dimitris turned his attention back to the food and finished it off. He placed his dish by the sink and moved to pick his Hero Brush back up.</p><p>Soi looked up from his phone at Dimitris’ stirring. “Ready to go?”</p><p>Dimitris nodded, and Soi let out an excited whoop as they snatched their Hero Shot off the bar and hastily donned their cape. Dimitris was surprised the cape wasn’t entirely in shreds by now; while it was tattered on the edges, it was in incredible condition considering Soi never left the house without it.</p><p>“Argh! I’m so excited to meet Agent 4!” Soi beamed as they opened the apartment door.</p><p>Dimitris mumbled back with far less enthusiasm, “Sure.”</p><p>“Aww come on! They’re definitely super fresh if they’re an agent! I wonder if they’ve heard of Dungeons and Dragons? I’d love to finally be able to play with a group! Oh, do you think they have any pets? I’d love to meet a cute little shark puppy… I wonder if they’re short? Or tall? Or maybe…” Soi continued to ramble on about their thoughts to themself as the two headed for Octo Canyon.</p><p>As the sun continued to climb into the sky, the duo made their way to the sewage grates. Dimitris wondered to himself as he slipped in, what exactly would this other agent be like?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Meeting</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>No warnings for this one &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mara tapped her foot impatiently. She took a glance at her watch; the others were already five minutes late! She leaned down to the old cuttlefish standing by her.</p><p>“They <em>are </em>coming, right?” she asked.</p><p>Cap’n Cuttlefish laughed, “Don’t worry! Three’s always late – ‘n Eight is probably tagging along with ‘em - but they have a way of making it work. You just have to be patient.”</p><p>Mara let out an exasperated groan. She barely had time for the meeting even if the other agents weren’t late! She had been slacking on her duties as a Grizzco Profreshional thanks to the overwhelming amount of work from the Squidbeak Splatoon. The agents she was finally meeting had gotten a sick leave after whatever it was they did, and Agents 1 and 2 had just recently retired, so all the usual work was left for her. She needed to make her Grizzco shift that day unless she wanted to get demoted for inactivity, and she was not about to let that happen. Cap’n tapped his cane against Mara’s foot, shaking her from her worries.</p><p>“Looks like they’re here!” he announced. Mara looked toward the kettle entrance, and sure enough, a lime-inked Inkling was helping a small red octopus out of the grate. She sighed in relief… <em>Finally!</em></p><p>Upon helping their teammate out of the grates, the Inkling trotted up to Mara and the Cap’n with a cape flowing behind them while the Octoling shuffled forward, face partially obscured by a face mask. The Inkling gave Cap’n a cheery wave before they turned to Mara with a grin plastered across their face. Was that Agent 3? They were so… upbeat? Mara was expecting someone with a strict and serious demeanor; the ripped cape and gnarly scar across their face certainly didn’t match their affable demeanor.</p><p>“Hello!” they chirped. “I’m Agent 3- honored to meet you.” Three gave Mara a militant salute, but it was clear from their smirk they could hardly contain their excitement.</p><p>The Octoling coldly introduced himself from behind Agent 3, not even giving a wave, “Eight.”</p><p>“And I’m Four,” Mara introduced herself with an awkward smile of her own. The contrast between Eight’s glare and Three’s bounciness was startling. She swallowed; both were incredibly intimidating in their own ways.</p><p>Mara gave Cap’n Cuttlefish a fretful side glance as if to ask, <em>Please help please help please help you know these guys and I don’t so please say something-</em></p><p>Either Cap’n didn’t notice or he didn’t care, because as soon as Mara delivered her pleading look, he promptly decided that it was a great time to leave the three of them to themselves.</p><p>“I’ve got things to do; you youngin’s have fun! You’ll hafta do a mission together tomorrow, so get used to each other’s company,” he announced.</p><p>Before Mara could protest, Cap’n had already scuttled away. Another mission so soon? She was disappointed to know that there wasn’t going to be any sort of teamwork building beforehand. She looked back to the other agents bashfully, not wanting to be the one to break the silence between them. After a moment of mild tension, Three’s eyes lit up in realization.</p><p>“Oh right! Cap’n sent me some details about tomorrow…” they said as they pulled out their phone, scrolled for a moment, then displayed a message with a smug glint in their eyes. They boasted with a laugh, “I get to be leader~!”</p><p>Mara took a look the screen, and sure enough, they were the leader. Her brow furrowed in confusion and concern: sure, Three was the presumably most experienced of the group, and Mara did know about their success as an agent, but they really didn’t seem to be taking the job seriously.</p><p>Three pulled their phone back and continued, “Alright, Four will be on the field with me, and Eight gets to support via headset.” Although he didn’t say anything in response, Mara noticed a look of relief wash across the Eight’s face. Three, on the other hand, looked plenty excited to be put on the job.</p><p>Mara looked to Three and queried, “Do you have any information on where and why we’re having the mission?”</p><p>“Yep! Looks like it’s on the fringes of Octo Canyon,” Three answered. They squinted at their phone for a moment. “Looks like there’s no objective yet though? Oh well,” they shrugged, “At least we got a mission!”</p><p>Mara sighed, “I guess.” She hoped this was something actually important, not putting it past the captain to set up a fake mission now that she knew there was no official objective yet.</p><p>Another moment of silence passed uncomfortably through the group until it was broken by Three again. “We should go out for lunch together!” they beamed. “We can get to know each other better around some food!”</p><p>“I never agreed to this,” Eight groaned, finally piping up some.</p><p>“Aw come on! I’ve been saving some money just for this kind of occasion!” Three begged. The two bickered about the worth of going out, Eight seeming concerned with finances while Three seemed ecstatic about some quality get-together time.</p><p>Mara interrupted the two of them, “Well actually, I can’t. I’ve got work today-” As if on cue, her phone began ringing. Shit! Was she already running late? Why was the boss already calling? She hastily scrambled for it, yanking it out of her pocket. Pretending to ignore a judgmental glance from Eight, she motioned that she needed a minute and rushed behind the Squidbeak Splatoon’s cabin. She nervously picked up, hand trembling in anticipation.</p><p>“Hello?” she answered.</p><p>A gruff voice rumbled up on the other side of the line, the main man himself, “<em>All Profreshionals needed, report for duty immediately. Show up or YOU’RE FIRED.</em>” And just like that, the call was over. Mara caught her breath; it was likely just an automated message, and she hadn’t missed her shift after all. Although… calling every Profreshional at once was definitely bizarre, and a new worry gnawed at her stomach as she wondered what in the world Grizz would need all of them for. Mara jammed her phone into her jacket’s pocket and returned to the other two agents.</p><p>“Well that was fast,” Eight muttered.</p><p>With an apologetic shrug, Mara explained, “I’ve got to go now… there’s a work emergency. Sorry.” She waved her farewell to the two as she left for Grizzco, ignoring their respective looks of disappointment and annoyance as she rushed for the exit.</p><hr/><p>Mara approached the familiar alleyway, her mind bogged with mixed thoughts on the agents she had just met. Three wasn’t anything like she expected, and she worried that Eight flat out hated her already. Maybe they both hated her for leaving like that? She worried they wouldn’t get along well during the mission… what if something happens because she wouldn’t be able to fit into their existing dynamic?</p><p>Luckily for her, Mara didn’t have any more time to think about it as she entered Grizzco’s alley. A pale inkling stood in her way, bright red eyes boring into her while they motioned to their hand for something. She blinked in confusion… this was new. Did Grizz hire bouncers? Upon Mara’s hesitation, the Inkling gave her a low growl and a glare.</p><p>“’Ey, lassie!” a voice called. A wild-looking Inkling dressed head-to-toe in Toni Kensa prowled in from around the corner, likely hearing the growl. “Shifts’re closed. If ya want ‘n, show yer Profresh’nal ID ta Luci ‘ere, or scram!” they yapped.</p><p>“O-oh! Of course.” Mara pulled out her employee card, placing it in the hand of the first Inkling. After they quickly scanned it over, they returned it to her, and both the bouncers stood aside for her to enter.</p><p>“Be sure ta git yerself dressed,” the Kensa-clad Inkling ordered. Mara nodded as she moved into the deeper part of the alleyway. Now that she could finally see the inside of the facility, she understood why Grizz had needed to hire guards. The place was stuffed to the gills with activity; Inklings, Octolings, and even Cuttlefish all swarmed within the building. Some had even moved just outside the gates to get some actual space for themselves... the entire situation would have mongered suspicion and fear if people saw it. Mara gulped as she pushed herself in, dodging around people to get herself to the changing rooms. Miraculously, there were still spare working clothes left, even after the supply was ravaged by the mob of Profreshionals. Mara slipped on a fitting outfit of gear, shoving her regular clothing into a small employee’s locker and slipping on a combination lock. She stepped back out into the main room, now ready for work.</p><p>Mara’s ears perked up as radio static was heard. The entire crowd hushed almost immediately as everyone turned their attention to the little wooden radio raised high like an idol. Those who were outside either looked in eagerly or managed to pack themselves in.</p><p>After a few moments of static, the radio buzzed to life, “<em>Attention all workers. You are gathered here today because you are the best and the brightest of our great industry. The time has come for your skill to be harnessed and utilized for the good of all Ink-kind.</em>” Now that Mr. Grizz was done beating around the bush, he detailed the special shift. “<em>We are currently experiencing a Code Orange; Salmonid activity is occurring at levels far higher than expected, and critically dangerous activity is occurring near Inkopolis. If we do not act now, Inkpolis may fall to a Code Red. Report to the docks and load ships in groups of eight to ten. Now go get me some eggs; I’m payin’ double!</em>”</p><p>Mara took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. She moved out to the docks, careful to not accidentally get shoved into the waters, and climbed aboard a boat. The small ship shook under the weight of so much more cephalopods than it was accustomed to, but its engine sputtered to life anyways. Mara looked out to the open waters, determination welling up inside of her in place of fear as the ship made its final preparations. It was time to go to work.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to my friends Kris and Charlie for letting me include their characters Crow and Luci as a little cameo!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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